Week 20: An unwelcome companion

The week started off benignly enough. Ive settled into a groove of seeing Tehera three times a week…and its not so bad. My core must be getting stronger, because while exercise is always tough (I can never let Tehera even think that a circuit isnt killing me or her wrath will be severe!), its becoming more manageable. I take pride in the fact that I can add more reps to specific moves, more seconds to the stopwatch, more exercises to a circuit. And I can appreciate that where I am todayeven though I have a long way to go to before I reach my ultimate goal—is miles from where I was when I started this process. That makes me feel really good. While the workouts and changes in diet havent resulted in 50 pounds of weight loss, I find comfort in the fact that the loss is happening steadily, and that positive change is manifesting itself in less pain after workouts, increased strength and endurance, and that light-inside feeling you get when your clothes are a bit looser than they were when you bought them. These small changes are milestones for me, and they encourage me to keep pushing forward, even when a tired body tries to convince me to do otherwise. Did I say “tired?” How about exhausted! Trips that have me working through the weekend and then jumping right back into work upon my return really take a toll. It seems as if I can never catch up to myself, and I know that cant be good where my physical fitness is concerned. Fatigue throws my routine off, even as I fight to stick to regularly scheduled workouts and meals, because the craving for sleep has me a bit more sluggish than usual.To top it all off, Ive got another full weekend away scheduled. This prompts me to take a personal day off of work to regrouponly to learn that while I'm out, major management changes occur at work. After reminding myself to breathe, I move forward with my weekend, making sure I fit in some cardio to work off both the stress resulting from the news and the stress that I know is looming upon my return to work on Monday. Channeling zen….